A Mother's Advice! Makoto and Kyoko Reconnect!
by WiiFan2009
Summary: Still feeling guilty and ashamed from continuously waking Kyoko up with his nightmares, Makoto seeks his mother's counsel in how to defeat his guilt. Will the Naegi matriarch be able to help complete the mending of her son and daughter-in-law's marriage?


A/N: Well, here's my next entry for Danganronpa Gaiden, taking place after my Day 5 Prompt for Naegiri Week 2019. Please read and review, and enjoy!

The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: A Mother's Advice! Makoto and Kyoko Reconnect!

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? I don't mind tagging along."

"It's alright, Kyoko. I'm just going to visit my Mom and talk a little bit, that's all."

Makoto and Kyoko were sitting in their office; they had taken separate cars to work today due to Makoto telling her that he wanted to visit his mom. This alone normally wouldn't have been a reason for them to take separate cars, as Kyoko genuinely enjoyed visiting her in-laws with her husband, were it not for the face that Makoto disclosed that he wanted to visit alone this time.

"I just don't see why you feel you have to exclude me. Whatever it is you feel you need to talk to Mom about, surely we can all talk about it together."

Scratching his cheek nervously, Makoto confessed "It's just…we…kind of have…talked about it before. And I'm…just really in need of my mother's perspective on it is all. I just don't want to subject you to a discussion we've already beaten to death before."

"What conversation…oh" Kyoko took a somber expression as she realized "You're talking about when we talked during one of your nightmares, aren't you?"

Makoto grimaced; ever since Kyoko had begged him to open up to her after he tried to shut her out during the spike in his Post-Traumatic Stress Induced nightmares, they had slowly been reconnecting by working their way back up their previous intimate and affectionate activities. But even though he hadn't physically shut her out since, his guilt and shame regarding her losing sleep to care for and soothe him had yet to recede.

"Yeah. I just…I'm getting better, but I'm hitting a brick wall here, and I thought if I talked to y mom about it, maybe it might help is all."

Kyoko turned around, tears trickling down her face as she lamented "…I'm your wife. You should feel like you can talk to me about these things. I should be the one to heal your pain and ease your soul. I…I feel like I'm letting you down when you tell me you need someone else's help, even if that person is our mother."

Makoto walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her, his hands interlocking with each other and lightly pressing against her belly.

"Kyoko, that's not true at all. You've saved me from my own fears…so many times…and I am getting better. But I'm just not at 100 percent yet, and I'm hoping that listening to mom's perspective might be that last kick I need to get back to normal. But you've never let me down. You could never let me down!"

Absorbing his words, Kyoko sighed in defeat as she acquiesced "…I'm not happy about it…but if you're sure that doing this without me is what you need, then I won't stop you. Go, then; go visit her. Just be back home in time for dinner, okay?"

Nodding, Makoto rested his head on her shoulder and kissed her cheek before replying "I promise, Kyoko. I love you."

"…I love you too."

Makoto reluctantly released his wife from his embrace before walking out of the office, heading to his car as Kyoko went back to work, burying her emotions where nobody but her husband could see as she got started on the pile of paperwork awaiting the Headmaster, letting the repetitive activity help her blow off the steam that had been burning during their discussion

XXX

"Makoto!"

"Hi Mom!"

Mother and son quickly embraced in the doorway, before Hana released him, urging "Come in, come in!" As they walked in the doorway and Hana closed the door behind them, she commented "Your father's out shopping right now; apparently there's this new dance club he wants to take me to, and he thinks my wardrobe needs an update."

"But…you always bought clothes for all of us…" Makoto deadpanned.

Hana shrugged and replied "Well, if he wants to give it a try, then I won't stop him." As they sat down on the nearby sofa, Hana cocked her head in confusion and asked "But where's Kyoko? You two always come together…and I found this great detective novel I thought she'd like…"

Makoto sweatdropped and replied "Well, I promise we'll both come another time and you can give it to her then. I came by myself; I…needed to talk to you about something, and Kyoko and I have kind of already beaten the subject to death already, so I…needed your perspective on it."

Hana frowned; although she knew her eldest child could be serious, as evidenced from the limited footage of the Class Trials that had been released to the public, it was rare to see him look so serious in front of her. Plus, his eyes bore into her own with an almost pleading expression; an obvious sign that whatever Makoto needed to discuss with her without his beloved wife was no laughing matter.

Taking his hands into her own, Hana encouraged "Okay, Makoto. What is it you need to tell me? How can I help?"

Makoto took a deep breath and began his explanation "It was no more than a week before Kyoko and I got engaged. I won't go into specifics, but during a Future Foundation proceeding, we and the other leaders were forced into a second killing game."

Hana's eyes widened as her face started to turn slightly green; even with what little information she had been provided regarding the School Life of Mutual Killing that had killed off ten of Makoto's classmates, just thinking about her baby boy at continuous risk of death had made her sick to her stomach, and more than once made her question her competence as a mother. The thought of him and her daughter-in-law being subjected to a second one made her want to vomit.

However, she stayed silent as Makoto continued "This time though, we had been knocked unconscious prior to the start and had bracelets attached to us in the interim. Each bracelet contained a personalized forbidden action that would inject us with a fatal poison if we did the forbidden action. In addition, the game was split into a number of different time limits. At the end of each one, we would be injected with a temporary sleeping drug that knocked us unconscious until the start of the next time limit."

Hana started to feel dizzy; she had already felt sick at the previous game that only introduced motives to convince the 78th Class to commit murder. The thought of her son being drugged multiple times in an even worse death game that could have killed him made her want to hold him and never let go.

Makoto bowed his head and gripped his legs as he further explained "Eventually, Kyoko and I reunited after being separated, but our reunion was short-lived. For you see, her forbidden action…" Makoto cried as he finished "was entering the fourth time limit while I was still alive…" Hana gasped, tears coming to her eyes as Makoto continued "She risked dying; she sacrificed herself, so that I could survive. She was almost killed…because of me, Mommy!"

Hana immediately flashed back to the day that she and Kyoko had gone shopping for wedding dresses, and the tearful confession that had followed after they arrived home.

_I see…it wasn't just that she was wiling to die for him…in a sense, she DID die for him…_

Makoto wiped his tears with his wrist before explaining "Luckily, she was able to procure and ingest a cure that slowed the poison and only placed her in a coma so that Mikan was able to revive her when she and the other members of the 77th Class came to our aid."

Hana remembered the nurse, who had not only attended Makoto and Kyoko's wedding, but had treated her and her husband when they had been found unconscious after the Tragedy.

_Looks like I have one more thing to thank you for, Tsumiki-san._

"In the interim though, Kyoko left us her notebook, including her deductions on the Final Killing Game. She discovered that all of the victims who died by means other than their forbidden action had committed suicide after being subjected to a hypnosis video. But…as we had no way to prove her deduction at the time…I volunteered to be the next test subject."

Hana gasped, her hands placed over her mouth and her eyes widened with horror as she asked incredulously "You mean you…Makoto, you…used yourself to test whether a hypnotic video truly made the other victims kill themselves?"

Nodding meekly, Makoto explained "And what I saw…I'll never forget it. I saw…all of my friends who died at Hope's Peak, as well as Kyoko who I thought was dead at the time. They all told me that I was to blame for their deaths, and that I should have died."

Hana teared up; she knew from raising him that Makoto was a man who always found a way to shift the blame to himself whenever something went wrong. To hear that he was hypnotized into believing that his closest friends as well as the girl he was in love with resented him for letting them die…it ignited her motherly instincts.

Before she could say a single word though, he explained "That Despair Video has given me nightmares ever since. I was diagnosed with a special variety of Post-Traumatic Stress, the kind that can't be treated with any medicine. I've lost count of how many times I've woken up Kyoko with my screaming, and she's had to comfort me and lull me back to sleep every time!"

Hana felt a new appreciation for her daughter-in-law for being so attentive and self-sacrificing to her son's needs.

"Over time though, I started to feel guilty and ashamed for how many times I've woken up Kyoko because of my nightmares. I tried to hide my tears from her and I tried to deal with this on my own. But…instead of solving the problem, I ended up driving her away. Things came to a head about a month ago when she cried to me that I wasn't letting her in, and that she missed me. And since then, I've tried to let her in again and I've stopped hiding my nightmares from her, but I haven't stopped feeling guilty and ashamed of myself…"

Makoto stared his mother in the eyes, pleading desperately as he explained "So I…I need you help, Mom. I know I shouldn't feel guilty about sharing my night terrors with my wife, but I don't know what to do anymore. TELL ME WHAT TO DO, MOMMY!"

Seeing her son sob his eyes out reactivated one of her motherly reflexes; she pulled Makoto into her lap who happily embraced his mother, the two of them flashing back to when Makoto was five, clutching his mother as she soothed the crying little boy.

"…Makoto…do you remember when you first started having night terrors?"

_Huh?_

Nevertheless, the boy wracked his brain, but couldn't recall the memory his mother obviously could.

Seeing the young man shake his head, Hana explained as she stroked his back "You were about five years old. Your father and I didn't find out until a month after you started having them, and you never told us what they were about. When we finally did find out and asked you why you didn't tell us, you went on and on about how your baby sister said you were the best and strongest big brother ever, and that you wouldn't cry so that you could still be strong for your baby sister."

Hana smiled at the memory, while Makoto'e eyes widened as with a blush he recalled himself saying _I hafta be stwong for imooto!_

Hana stroked his head as she continued "I'm going to tell you the exact same thing I told you back then. Makoto, showing your feelings and crying in front of others doesn't make you weak. In fact, it takes a bigger man to let out your emotions than it does to hold them in and let them fester. Plus, Kyoko's your wife; she knew from the second she proposed to you that she was going to have to sacrifice some amount of sleep to be there for you. That's what part of being a good spouse is, and letting her take care of you is nothing to be ashamed of."

_Nothing…to be ashamed of…_

"Plus, what happened to you is far from the norm; you can't hold yourself to this high of a pedestal. And even if this was normal Post-Traumatic Stress, people heal at different speeds. Some people take weeks, others take years, and for some people, they have to cope with their traumas for the rest of their lives. And that's okay. Don't let something as silly as pride prevent you from showing your feelings to Kyoko. Let her share the burden with you, okay Makoto?"

Nodding, Makoto sniffled before easing himself off of his mother's lap and replying "Thanks Mommy. You're right. I should get back home; I have a lot to make up to Kyoko for!"

Giggling, Hana shooed him "Then what are you waiting for? Go get her!" She watched as her son raced out the door, closing her eyes once the door slammed behind him and thinking _That's my boy!_

XXX

It was already dark and Kyoko was sitting on the bed, brushing her hair while she waited for Makoto to come home. She had since calmed down after their previous disagreement, able to think more logically on Makoto's point.

_I suppose…having an extended support system would be a good idea. At the very least, I shouldn't get so upset if he wants to seek counsel from Mom. As long as it helps him to move past this…_

To her surprise, the door to their room then opened, revealing Makoto in the doorway.

"Makoto! Welcome home sweetie!"

To her surprise, Makoto showed a neutral poker face, reminiscent of her own when they had attended Hope's Peak together. Seeing an look of non-expression on her husband's face was disconcerting and worried her that something was wrong.

As Makoto walked closer, Kyoko asked "Makoto? Did your talk with Mom not go we…"

Kyoko's sentence died in her mouth as she felt his hands latch at her waist while his fingers scribbled away. She struggled to look up at him, seeing that his expression had changed to a grin.

"Mah…Mahkoootooo! St…stahahahp! You knoooow I'm tih..tihihihiiickliish!"

Any half-hearted protests Kyoko had left died in her throat as she surrendered to the urge to laugh, stumbling back as Makoto continued to step forward, his scribbling fingers never leaving her body until she fell backwards onto the mattress. Makoto climbed onto the bed and kneeled over her. Kyoko tensed up, steeling herself for more tickles, only to be confused when she instead felt Makoto's lips planted over her own. Feeling his tongue jap at her teeth, Kyoko opened her mouth to grant him entrance, moaning as she felt his tongue lash at her own.

Makoto slipped his hands under her nightgown, stroking her thighs as they traveled up her torso until they each latched the side of a breast, making the former Detective gasp with arousal.

Kyoko looked up at Makoto's desperate eyes as he broke away and pleaded "Please…will you…let me inside?"

Her eyes widening at the double meaning, and missing the offered intimacy with her husband, Kyoko eagerly nodded. Makoto removed his hands from under her nightgown as she tugged at his hoodie and T-shirt. Once they were both off, Makoto wasted no time in unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans, both parties burning with lust as they craved the feeling of skin upon skin while they refamiliarized themselves with the full breath of their romantic intimacy.

"Makoto…you can come in now. I'll always let you inside, sweetie!"

XXX

Makoto collapsed against his wife, their bodies slick with sweat as well as the aftermath of their lovemaking. He felt himself overcome with awe and glee as though it were his first time all over again. Makoto felt Kyoko lazily trace indistinguishable patterns on his chest as he started to trace around the rim of her belly button with one fingertip the two giggling both from their emotional high as well as the barely ticklish sensations that arose from their ministrations.

Makoto rested his head on her shoulder as he asked "Can you…can you ever forgive me? For shutting you out before? I…I let my stubborn pride and desire to be a good husband build a wall between us. I missed this…your warmth, your intimacy…I missed **you**, Kyoko Naegi, and I was a fool to ever give that up!"

Kyoko felt her heart beat faster in her chest as she heard Makoto pour his heart and soul out to her. Grinning, she lifted his head off of her shoulder before angling her own neck upwards to pepper his cheeks, forehead, and nose with forgiving, amorous kisses.

"Of course I forgive you, sweetheart. I love you, Makoto, so much."

Feeling his eyes tear up at her acceptance, he nuzzled his head against her breast as he fell asleep, murmuring "Thank you for everything, Kyoko. I love you!"

Hearing him snore, Kyoko patted his head. Still not on the verge of sleep herself, she found her mind and hand wandering, her palm settling over her belly button as she felt an odd sense of longing fill her where Makoto's sperm was currently settling.

_IT feels…like something's missing, somehow…but what?_

Kyoko's eyes suddenly widened in realization as she flashed back to a recent shopping trip for clothes that she had made a couple of months ago, one where on her way out, her eyes settled on a display of baby clothes before shaking her head and walking out.

_Of course…we weren't ready for it yet. But now…especially now that we've moved past our worst trial…I think it's the right time. I want to expand our family; I want a baby!_

Her eyes wandered to the pill case on the dresser next to her side of the bed, filled with her birth control medicine. Without a moment of hesitation, she grabbed the pill box and tossed it into the nearby wastebasket.

_Our anniversary's in a couple months; that should be plenty of time for my fertility to get back to normal. Alright, my anniversary present to Makoto will be conception!_

Kyoko struggled not to squeal in anticipation, forcing herself to go to sleep by focusing on her husband's snoring. Unbeknownst to Makoto, her dreams were filled with fantasies of motherhood.


End file.
